1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information system for automotive and also relates to an on-vehicle device and a server device utilized in this information system.
2. Description of Related Art
A car navigation device known in the related art estimates the level of energy consumption necessitated as the vehicle travels by estimating a vehicle travel pattern and predicting the fuel consumption in correspondence to each road link based upon the estimated travel pattern and searches for the route requiring the least fuel consumption (see Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. 2010-107459).
The car navigation device in the related art cited above estimates the extent of acceleration loss based upon a travel pattern that repeats acceleration/deceleration at a fixed acceleration/deceleration rate G, and estimates the fuel consumption corresponding to each road link in conjunction with this acceleration loss. However, in reality, the vehicle does not always travel in an environment in which it accelerates and decelerates with such a simple travel pattern. For this reason, it is difficult to accurately estimate the level of fuel consumption.
An object of the present invention, having been completed by addressing the issues in the related art discussed above, is to accurately predict the level of energy consumption required for vehicle travel.